The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-09-20
THE COAL MINERS STRIKE.
IT rs CONFINED TO THE LEHIGH EE-
GION OF THE COAL FIELD.
Many Small Operators Grant the Demands
OF the Men-work Enoush fer All In the
Wyouiing Region Mt Increased Wages.


fields who have been on strike for ten days
havo already lost over 100000 In wages, and
the probabilities are that they will lose much
more before the strike is ended. The men are
by no means disheaftoned, and they have no
reason to be. In fact, some OF them are living
better now than they did before tho lock-
out was ordered. Contributions are pouring
In from all sides. The miners who are
ut work In the other regions consider their
Lehigh brethren martyrs to the laboring
cause. On Saturday four car loads OF -four
were received at Jeddo for the idle miners and
their families ut Hazelton and vicinity. The
contributions to the relief fund" have been
heavy. The region affected by the strike COW
ers IN area Of sixty miles. The strikers, with
one exception are employed mostly by in
dividual operators, who employ from 100 to
500 mon each. Tho ono exception Is the Le-
high Coal and Navigation Company. which en-
ploy about 6.0OO men. but since the Reading
Company has avoided strike by granting an
increase OF wages the Lehigh Coal and Navi-
CATION Company is expected to follow suit.
pardee SS and Coke CO are the tive
ciple with Them. They do not object to meet
ing their men, but are, decidedly opposed to
outsiders running their business Mr.. Pardee
says it is un.American, and contrary to the
institutions Of this country. to have commit.
tee from the knights of Labor call on him and
say. Y GU must pay your men so much wages
or we will order them to stop, working for
YOU Mr.. Coke. who has built hospitals and
the same opinion. lie says he Is willing to
grant any reasonable demands Of his men
II they nc s In put win Under
Knights OF Labor committee As the Pardees
and Coxes are milllonaires over and over
main in idleness. but the case Is different with
they run. they must mine SO much coal .
operators have already granted the demands
OF their men, and assumed operations. This
tS Fs9 small ba PsSe1 would pa9 em
the same wages as the Reading Company
agreed to pay, Its employees; In about an;
have resumed operations that the strike will
be reduced to minimum.
Nss IN the Of the coal trade has
and in this part OF the coal fields THE Wyoming
regionl there Is work for all. Many OF the
they readily obtained. The strike in the Le-
high region has no effect on the coal output;
is not ne mined in the Lehigh region it viii be Elm in
another part Of the coal basin. This has been
region are working double time to Keep up up
now makes from s75 to si25 9 month. Had the
struck. then tho Situation would oTiHY have BEEN
serious one. but the present strike In the
HAsLEroS. Sept iS.-Just one week ago to-
the Lehigh and lower anthracite regions was
their tools and refused to go to work again
until the coal companies and operators had
to grant them an a. 81 10 per
far as the Schuylkill region Is concerned. the
strike. is practically at an end. All the indi-
with the Reading company and agreed to give
their employees the advance OF per cent.
which was DECIDED the Potsys
Manager Whiting Of the Reading Company and
the demand committee. Here In this region.
day than it was a week ago. There are 90
coliisries In the region and every one OF them
lae LOGO &c and 2o men and
far there is no prospect of n resumption Of work
within the next six months at least;
the Pottsville conference would be largely in
str9mental in bringing the operators Of this
Ess so es es Be- T rsase s In ha B hGpe
and a system which would answer in the
tirely impracticable here in the Iehish region.
The reports that have been sent out regarding
The a in this region have for years been
working under what is known as the S. basis
that is, that when the selling price. Of coal at
the miners and laborers. and their wages shall
either be advanced or reduced In proportion
snes en- BASIS % the
euiar sent out BY the New York. Lehigh Coal
the average price 81 81 coal at The
operators have been paying wages eight per
cent. below the basis. This secures to
n ns Of the Wages Sens
Pardee. the son Of A. Pardee, who is the
who, is the general superintendent Of all the
Pardee collieries. said to your correspondent
tonight that the operators have all aaIong been
firm in their decision not to deal
with the knights. OF Labor or any other labor
as equally determ lned that the op-
Herein lies tho difficulty in reaching a final
The operators further say that since the
wages paid must rise and fall according to the
time without themselves suffering loss or in
creasing the price OF coal. On the other hand.
the men claim that some years aEo. when the
orators reduced their wages ten per cent.
promising to restore 1t as soon as the price Of
has never been done. and that they are now
entitled to the advance asked for.
So long as these differences OF opinion exist
between the employers and the employees it is
the present strike. The only hope lies in both
believed a. mutually satisfactory settlement
can be made. Most OF the operators of the re-
gion have expressed their willingness to do
this. Tho ideness q the collieries has com
pletely Frustrated all business here. Hundreds
Of idle men stand about the streets OF this
town discussing the situation. They were
all quiet and orderly. and so far there
has been no sign OF any outbreak among
them. Most of them have large families to
support and unless there is a settlement very
soon there will be a great deal of restitution
and suffering among them. Hundreds OF Hum
garians and other foreign cheap laborers are
leaving the region daily and many Of tho
English speaking miners are going to the |
Schuylkill and Wyoming regions to seek work
there.
Matthew Long. a prominent labor advocate,
to-day had published in one OF the local papers |
q communication in which he advised public
meeting OF the business men of Hazleton and
the surrounding region to formulate some plan |
looking TO a settlement OF the difficulty as its |
will cause loss of hundreds Of
thousands of dollars month to the bust
ness men. He suggests the adoption
Of some plan to arrange a meeting |
between the operators and their Employer, |
and thinks IL this can he accomplished /. will |
have tho desired result. A meeting of dele |
gates from all the Knights Of Labor local as
'emblies was held here on Saturday. 1t was |
entirely private, and no information as to the |
nature of their deliberations can be obtained |
urther than that the strike was the principal |
subject under consideration. |
At.N d. r.